The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is typically favored for professional design and multimedia work with its color-accurate screen and efficient operating system, while the ASUS ROG Strix G18 is a high-performance gaming laptop with a robust cooling system suitable for intensive gaming and tasks that require significant computing power. The MacBook Pro is known for its build quality, long battery life, and seamless integration with other Apple products but is less customizable than a gaming laptop and may not have the same graphical performance as the ASUS model. The ASUS, being a gaming laptop, might be heavier and have a shorter battery life, but it also usually offers more ports for connectivity and the flexibility to upgrade components. If portability and battery life are crucial for you, and your work doesn't involve heavy gaming or demanding computational tasks, the MacBook Pro could be the more practical choice. However, if you need top-tier performance for gaming or intensive tasks and don't mind compromising on portability and battery life, the ASUS ROG Strix G18 would be more suitable. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
Excellent for general use
Excellent overall display quality
Best in class overall build quality
Good portability
Best in class battery life
Best in class keyboard
Advantages of the ASUS ROG Strix G18
Very good for gaming and AI
Key differences
General Use
9.0/10
8.3/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
497.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
422.0 nits
17.5 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
8.0 Hours
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
5.6/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is excellent for general use, while the ASUS ROG Strix G18 is very good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in general use due to its proprietary CPU and high RAM, providing smooth performance, as well as its exceptional screen quality and long battery life, but it is less portable due to being slightly heavier. On the other hand, the ASUS ROG Strix G18 offers ample storage, quality speakers, and good heat management along with superior CPU and RAM for gaming, but has a larger screen that impacts portability and a significantly shorter battery life, which could limit mobile use.
Gaming and AI
7.0/10
8.7/10
5.0/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
8.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
8.7/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
7.2/10
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 is very good for gaming and AI, while the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is good.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has a capable GPU for 3D tasks with a modest refresh rate, while the ASUS ROG Strix G18 comes with a powerful Nvidia GPU and a high screen refresh rate, catering more effectively to gaming and 3D applications; however, the MacBook offers screen quality benefits with its Mini LED technology, which the ASUS lacks, and note that Macs don't support many popular games.
Software Development
8.9/10
8.1/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
9.5/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
8.0/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and ASUS ROG Strix G18 are both very good for software development, though the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) is somewhat better.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Screen Quality
9.4/10
8.7/10
16.2in
SIZE
18.0in
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
497.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
422.0 nits
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has a better screen than the ASUS ROG Strix G18 for general use, engineering and design, and software development, while the ASUS ROG Strix G18 has a better screen for gaming and AI.
For general use, the MacBook Pro's high-resolution Retina display with bright and vibrant colors ensures sharp images and easy readability, whereas the ASUS ROG Strix, while also having a very good display, may not match Apple's color accuracy or brightness. For engineering and design tasks, the MacBook Pro covers a wide color gamut including DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB, which is critical for accurate color representation, an area where the ASUS, despite its strong performance, might fall short. However, for 3D applications and gaming where fast screen refresh rates are crucial to reduce motion blur and provide smoother visuals, the ASUS ROG Strix with a higher refresh rate outperforms the MacBook Pro, which is more suited for tasks that prioritize resolution and color accuracy over speed.
Battery
17.5 Hours
8.0 Hours
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 has 17.5 hours of battery life. The ASUS ROG Strix G18 has 8 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Good
Poor
16.2in
SIZE
18.0in
4.7 lbs
WEIGHT
6.6 lbs
0.6in
THICKNESS
1.0in
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has good portability, while the ASUS ROG Strix G18 has poor portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
10.0/10
7.8/10
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has best in class build quality, while the ASUS ROG Strix G18 has good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
Cost
$1,949
$2,299
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has a price of $1,949 and the ASUS ROG Strix G18 costs $2,299.
The ASUS ROG Strix G18 and Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) are both very good for engineering and design.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) excels in engineering and design tasks due to its high-quality CPU (Apple M1 Pro) and robust GPU (M1 Pro 16C), paired with ample RAM and an exceptional Mini LED screen that offers precise color reproduction and brightness. In contrast, the ASUS ROG Strix G18 is favored for similar tasks as it packs a powerful Intel i9 CPU, high-end NVIDIA GPU, and vast storage, although it trades off some portability and screen quality for a larger screen and superior refresh rates that benefit fast-paced applications.
Content Creation
8.8/10
8.6/10
7.5/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.9/10
3456 x 2234
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
32.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
Mini LED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and ASUS ROG Strix G18 are both very good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
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How the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) and the ASUS ROG Strix G18 compare to other laptops
"The Apple MacBook Pro 16 2023: M2 Max challenges GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The new MacBook Pro 16 2023 with the M2 Max SoC is the most powerful laptop Apple has on sale right now. While we do not get the expected performance and efficiency improvements from completely new 3 nm chips, which we expected ahead of the launch, the 2023 model is still a solid update. The CPU of the M2 Max can be up to 20 % faster than the old model and we also see an advantage of 25-30 % for the GPU with 38 cores. However, both components also consume more power, so the efficiency did not change that much under maximum load."
"With the ROG Strix G18, Asus has made an almost consistently good debut in the still quite new 18-inch laptop segment. The base unit case shows a few signs of weakness in the area of stability and is something which has an effect on the perceived quality of the input devices (the chassis tends to rattle a bit). Nevertheless, thanks to generous port features (incl. Thunderbolt 4), a striking design, and extensive lighting (keyboard, LED strip on the front), gamers get a fitting gaming platform."
Get a great deal on the Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021) or the ASUS ROG Strix G18
About Apple
Apple, an American technology company, is one of the world’s largest company in terms of market capitalization. Their MacBook laptops feature a slim, minimalistic design, class-leading battery life, and premium display and speaker quality. In 2020 Apple switched from using Intel processors to their own silicon chips which have excellent performance and efficiency. The macOS operating system is the second most widely used OS, after Windows.
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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